Gaslight
by Spunky0ne
Summary: A confused Yuuri wakes up in a Russian hospital, suffering from paralysis. He is devastated to learn that the car he and Victor were in struck a tree, killing Victor instantly…Meanwhile, in Saint Petersburg, Victor is rushed to the hospital after being discovered in his wrecked car on the side of a lonely highway, with Yuuri nowhere to be found…Victor/Yuuri, Daniil (Danya - OC)
1. Heavenly Bodies

**Gaslight**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**A confused Yuuri wakes up in a Russian hospital, suffering from paralysis. He is devastated to learn that the car he and Victor were driving struck a tree, killing Victor instantly…Meanwhile, in Saint Petersburg, Victor is rushed to the hospital after being discovered in his wrecked car on the side of a lonely highway, with Yuuri nowhere to be found…Victor/Yuuri, Daniil (Danya - OC)/Yuuri**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: Heavenly Bodies**

Yuuri Katsuki finished a dazzling combination spin, then executed the ending moves of his newest planned program, then he struck a final pose and waited, panting, as his husband and coach, Victor Nikiforov smiled at him and nodded approvingly.

"That ending was perfect," he complimented Yuuri, "I still noticed you not building enough speed before your Quad Lutz. It looked really sloppy. Honey, I'm telling you, you need to do that jump in the first half."

"But I know I have the stamina to do it in the second half, where it's worth more points," Yuuri argued, "I just need more practice."

"Mmhmm," Victor agreed, "and you'll get that. But at least, in the early part of the skating season, you should move it to the first half. Remember, it's good to reduce the difficulty of your program in the beginning, and adjust it along the way to…"

"I know," Yuuri said irritably, "So, I reach my peak at the Grand Prix Final. I get it. I just don't necessarily think that's the best thing for me."

"Well, I know that it is," Victor said firmly, "You want my coaching advice, I'm giving it to you. You can, and probably will, ignore it, of course, but then you can't say that I didn't warn you."

"I _never_ say that," Yuuri chuckled, "because you never hold back telling me how you see it."

Victor gave him a petulant look.

"Are you saying I'm _nagging you_?" he asked, pouting, "You do remember that is one of my jobs, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Yuuri assured him, "and I'm grateful to you for coaching me. But you said, yourself, that it is important for me to be the one to decide what I feel works best, and to trust my instincts."

"I did say that, but do you have to start listening to me now?" Victor complained.

Victor paused, blinking curiously as Yuuri's expression softened with genuine affection.

"What?" he asked, tilting his head and still frowning slightly, "What is that look?"

"I'm looking at you like this because I love you."

Victor gave him a piqued look.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better that you ask my opinion and then ignore it?" Victor complained, only half seriously.

Yuuri moved closer and slid his arms around Victor's slim, muscular body, then he kissed his husband on the now smiling lips.

"I love you, Victor," he whispered, kissing his silvery-haired husband again, "I love that you are my coach. I love that you ask a lot of me. I love that you nag me sometimes, and that you're demanding and that you argue with me, and that after all of that is done, the last thing we always do is dance together. I love our ice dances so much, Vitya," he said, shifting to using his more intimate nickname.

Victor's blue-green eyes softened, and he returned Yuuri's embrace and kissed him back several times.

"I suppose we are finished for the day," Victor sighed, nuzzling his cheek, "Should we go out to dinner tonight? We're both tired from all of the jumping today."

"I can cook something," Yuuri offered.

"Hmm, but there is a new club opening, not far from here. We could finish up here and go give it a try," Victor suggested.

"But I thought you were tired from jumping," Yuuri pointed out, "You're too tired to cook, but you want to dance more?"

Victor giggled into Yuuri's shoulder.

"I have a reserve of energy, just for dancing with you. On the ice or off, it's my favorite thing to do."

"Oh really," Yuuri said, his voice filling with seductiveness, "I thought there was something you liked even better than that."

Victor gave him a lusty grin.

"Well, I guess you're right about that, but you've said we can only do that at home. We can go home after our ice dance, if you want. I'll make you a pork cutlet bowl."

"Ooh! Now you're speaking my language, Coach Victor," Yuuri laughed, taking up a dance position and waiting as Victor started the music and returned to join him.

"God, I love dancing with you, Yuuri!" Victor sighed, holding Yuuri close as the two skated around the rink.

"I love this too," Yuuri said, leaving Victor's arms to execute a pretty spin before returning, "I'm so glad that you agreed to stay on as my coach, and that we got married."

"Me too," Victor giggled, pulling him in closer and kissing him fervently.

The two skaters slowed and stopped in the middle of the ice rink, kissing passionately. Victor's hands slid down Yuuri's slim back, sliding into his pants and curving around his buttocks.

"Stop it!" Yuuri laughed, trying to escape, but only succeeding in making himself slip and fall onto the ice with Victor landing on top of him.

Victor ignored the fall completely and dove on Yuuri's objecting mouth again instantly.

"Mmph!" Yuuri complained, "Victor! Stop it. Someone could walk in on us!"

"Let them walk in. I don't care. You're so tasty, Yuuri! You've been teasing me all day, you beautiful little katsudon. I'm going to eat you right here, right now!"

"Victor!"

Victor pinned Yuuri against the ice, looking down into his widened brown eyes playfully.

"I'll tell you what. I'll get off of you and stop fondling you if you promise after I make you katsudon, you will make love to me…"

"Okay," Yuuri snickered.

"Three times!" Victor laughed.

"Wait, what?"

"I wasn't done before you agreed. You always give in too hastily," Victor teased, "Now, you promised me three times tonight!"

"I did not!"

"You did. I heard you say you would."

"You know I didn't."

The two continued their play argument as they left the ice rink and headed out to Victor's sleek, black convertible.

"Too bad it's raining," Victor sighed, pausing to stow their skates in the trunk of the car, "I'd love to put the top down."

"Why do you even have a convertible in Saint Petersburg?" Yuuri joked, "It's rained almost constantly since I got here."

"I like it, even with the top closed."

Yuuri smiled.

"I like it too," he chuckled.

"I think you especially like what we did in it," Victor giggled, "Do you want to find someplace private and…?"

"No!" Yuuri said emphatically, "We almost got caught with our clothes off last time!"

"We got away," Victor reminded him.

"Well, it was too close," Yuuri insisted, "So, if that's what you want, we'll go home and do it in our bed."

"Not even in the car in the garage, Yuuri?" Victor asked, smirking.

"Oh yeah, that would be romantic…" Yuuri huffed, "No."

"Oh, come on, I'm making katsudon for you."

"That doesn't mean I owe you sex in the garage," Yuuri laughed.

"The katsudon will be so good, you will owe me sex in the middle of our favorite nightclub!" Victor teased him.

"Nope. In our bed or nothing," Yuuri said firmly, crossing his arms.

"Ooh, you drive a hard bargain," Victor complained, "All right. Katsudon and three times in our bed."

"You're insatiable," Yuuri accused him, "But okay. Three times."

Victor laughed.

"Plus the three we talked about earlier, so that's six times you owe me tonight!"

"Six!" Yuuri said incredulously, "I don't think you have the stamina."

"I don't have the stamina? You underestimate me!" Victor objected, turning the key and starting the car.

The two men gasped in shock as some kind of gas hissed out of the air vents in the car.

"Don't breathe it in!" Victor warned him, "Get out, Yuuri!"

The two grabbed frantically at the door handles, only to find that the doors wouldn't unlock. Yuuri swiftly checked the glove box for something to break the window, but found only a set of the maintenance records for the convertible. Victor struck at the side window with the heel of his palm, but only succeeded in injuring his wrist.

"Damn it!"

"What do we do?" Yuri managed, his eyes rounding.

Victor quickly pushed the pad for the car horn, then made a little sound of dismay as he realized the horn made no sound at his touch.

"Oh god!" he whispered, grabbing Yuuri and holding him tightly.

"I'm starting to feel strange," Yuuri said, blinking, "Victor?"

"Here, put your face here and breathe through my clothing," he said, guiding Yuuri to his shoulder, "Maybe…"

He felt sudden dizziness and hugged Yuuri tighter.

"We can't get out," Yuuri sobbed softly, shivering as his body collapsed against Victor's.

"Yuuri, stay with me!" Victor pleaded, "Yuuri?"

"Wh-who would do this?" Yuuri whispered as his consciousness began to fade, "Why?"

"Y-yuu…ri," Victor gasped desperately, struggling with the car door until his body went limp and collapsed against Yuuri's slumped form.

Victor's nearly closed eyes took in the sight of a darkly dressed person, who unlocked the door and opened it as he finally passed out. The man waited as the gas cleared, then he pushed Victor aside and slid into the driver's seat. He started the car and drove away into the darkness.

XXXXXXXXXX

Otabek Altin sat on the sofa in the apartment he shared with fellow skater, Yuri Plisetsky, his arms around the blonde as they watched a movie together. He noted the tension in the younger man's body and the scowl on his face that seemed to be gradually intensifying.

"Is something bothering you, Yuri?" Altin asked finally, "You look like you're about to take a bite out of that pillow you're holding. What's up with you?"

Yuri sighed discontentedly and shifted in his dark-haired boyfriend's embrace.

"Oh, I guess it's nothing," he answered in a piqued tone, "It's just that Victor said that he'd come by on his way home from his and pork cutlet bowl's extended practice session tonight so that we could finish the plans for the exhibition that's coming up. We have some time left, but I just want to get it out of the way, you know? So I can focus on my plans for the season."

"Right," Otabek acknowledged, "I see. Well, you know that Victor gets busy and he's easily distracted. He probably forgot."

"He probably did," Yuri agreed, "the idiot. He's so annoying! All pork cutlet bowl has to do is wiggle his ass on accident and Victor can't think of anything else. I'm surprised he can still win his own medals, the way he spends all of his time kissing Katsuki's ass. It's embarrassing. It's like he's forgotten who he is."

"Oh, I don't think it's like that," Otabek said, giving his more fiery partner an amused smirk, "Victor is just a man who very much enjoys a good challenge, and there is no one who has pushed him as hard as a skater as Yuuri Katsuki…"

"Hey!" Yuri objected.

"…and you have," Otabek added.

"But the bastard never takes his eyes off pork cutlet bowl long enough to notice I exist. How can I push him?"

"You've beaten him on individual skates plenty of times," Otabek pointed out, "and that's made him refine his strategies for competing with you. I think it's a sign of deep respect for you that he works hard to challenge you. He sees you as his equal on the ice."

"He's not my equal," Yuri huffed, "I can skate circles around him, and he knows it."

"And yet," the Kazakhstani skater said quietly, "Victor continues to take the higher medal in all of your competitions because he is the more strategic skater. He not only knows his own abilities and shortcomings, he knows yours, and he knows how to play both to his advantage. He's also aware that your emotions are a force to be reckoned with, and he gets on your nerves on purpose sometimes to motivate you. I think he is a good friend."

"What are you talking about?" Yuri snapped, his scowl intensifying, "Victor's not my fr…"

"But he is," Otabek insisted solemnly, "Otherwise, why would you be worried that he hasn't come by or called as expected. After all, you don't doubt that you have plenty of time to complete the prep for that exhibition. And you know Victor is forgetful sometimes. It's clear enough to me that you're worried about him not calling for other reasons. Why don't you just call him?"

Yuri blinked and went silent for a moment.

"Why should I call him? He was supposed to call me, the inconsiderate dumbass," Yuri scoffed.

But there was no force to the words, and he was already looking at his cell phone that laid on the end table.

"Give him a call," Otabek persisted, "I'm sure Victor isn't meaning to neglect his promise to come by or call. He's simply forgetful, and as bothersome as that is, he doesn't do it on purpose to make you angry…or worry you."

"I'm not worried," Yuri said, his tone again betraying the lie as he said the words, "I'm just pissed he always does this."

"Give him a call," Otabek chuckled, "Otherwise, you and I are not going to be able to enjoy the rest of this movie."

"Fine," Yuri sighed unhappily, picking up his phone.

He dialed Victor's phone number and waited as the connection was made and the phone began to ring. Almost immediately, the call went to voice mail. Yuri groaned and rolled his eyes and he dropped his phone back onto the end table.

"The jerk's not even answering," he sighed.

He shook his head and started to turn back to watch the movie, but a moment later, his eyes narrowed and he picked up his phone again. Otabek watched curiously as he began tapping furiously on the phone screen.

"What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" Yuri grunted, "Oh, Victor was looking for his phone a few days ago because he set it down somewhere and forgot it, stupid idiot, and I was showing him how to use another phone or a computer to find it."

Otabek chuckled and shook his head.

"So, you have his login information. Very crafty, aren't you?"

"I'm not being crafty," Yuri scoffed, "I can't help it if I just remember the password and he didn't update it. There. It says that his phone is…"

He paused and looked more closely.

"What the hell is he doing out there? What, did he forget how to get home now?"

Otabek leaned over his boyfriend's shoulder, squinting slightly.

"Or maybe he got fucking drunk and went the wrong way," Yuri said angrily.

"Victor doesn't drive if he's been drinking," Otabek pointed out, "Every bar he goes to around here knows that if he and Yuuri both drink too much, he leaves his car and calls for a ride. He would never put his and Yuuri's lives at risk like that. He's forgetful, but Victor isn't careless about things like that."

"Hmm, I guess you're right."

"Maybe he went to run an errand on the way home. Why don't we watch the end of the movie and you can try again?"

"What? Oh, okay, I guess," Yuri answered in a distracted voice.

He was barely able to enjoy the movie, and as soon as it ended, he picked up his phone and punched in the information again.

"Where is it now?" Otabek asked, leaning over to look.

"It's in the same place," Yuri said, now beginning to sound anxious, "Beka, there is nothing out there…nothing but trees and the road."

"Maybe their car broke down."

"Yeah, maybe…"

"You don't sound convinced," Otabek said, releasing Yuri and standing.

Yuri looked up at him questioningly.

"What are you doing?"

Otabek smiled patiently.

"I'm going to relieve your fears," he said, helping Yuri to his feet, "C'mon, we'll go out there and see if there's anything to be worried about."

"Huh? I don't need to…" Yuri began.

But he stopped as he spotted the genuine concern in his boyfriend's eyes.

"Come on. We both want to make sure that our friends are all right."

"Okay," Yuri agreed, "but if we see them, you don't tell them anything about this…about the locator or anything. You promise?"

"I cross my heart," Otabek said, giving his partner an affectionate look.

The two climbed left the apartment and climbed into Otabek's car. They headed out to the area noted in the locator app, slowing as they reached the road where Victor's phone had been.

"See, there's fucking nothing out here and no reason for him to be here," Yuri said, sounding even more worried, "Keep driving slow. It was around here somewhere."

The two young men peered out the windows of the car, into the darkness as Otabek drove down the remote road, then turned and drove back the other way.

"I don't even know why he would have come this way," Yuri complained, "It's not a convenient way to get to anywhere Victor would go!"

"Look more closely as we go back."

"Look for what?" Yuri asked in an agitated tone, "The car isn't here. Maybe someone stole his phone? But, why dump it here?"

"It'd be hard to find if it was a thief doing it. But…"

Otabek broke off and pulled the car suddenly to the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Yuri asked, looking around, "Do you see them?"

"I see tire tracks leading off the road," Otabek said in a concerned tone.

The two young men left the car and followed the tracks off the road and into the brush and trees.

"Holy shit! There!" Yuri shouted, breaking into a run, "That's Victor's convertible!"

The two ran to the vehicle, their hearts in their throats as they spotted the damage to the front end of the vehicle. Otabek grabbed his phone and dialed emergency services, while the two hurried to the vehicle.

"Are they inside?" Otabek asked urgently, "Hello? Yes, I need to report a car accident."

He quickly passed on the location information.

"I don't know if there are injuries. Please hurry. I see someone in the car, but he's not getting out."

Yuri skidded to a stop, staring as he tore open the car door and found Victor collapsed against the steering wheel and no sign of Yuuri Katsuki.

"Be careful!" Otabek cautioned him, "He may have internal or head or neck injuries. I'll check him."

Yuri moved aside as Otabek swiftly examined the unconscious man.

"H-he's alive, right?" Yuri asked anxiously.

Otabek nodded, then he frowned and leaned closer, sniffing.

"What is it? What's wrong? Do you smell something?" Yuri asked quickly.

Otabek gave him a worried look.

"I smell alcohol."


	2. Lost

**Chapter 2: Lost**

Yuuri stirred and groaned softly, his body shivering even though he felt warm under the blanket that covered him. The bed underneath his back felt strangely firm, and it was even more odd for him to wake and to find himself anywhere but held close to Victor's naked, clinging form.

_Although Victor always thought he was stronger on his own before, once he came to me in Hasetsu, he realized that he did need someone. He needed me. Victor told me that he found new strength, himself, while he was helping me to find mine. And now…each of us knows that we are stronger together._

Yuuri breathed in more deeply and registered a soft beeping somewhere nearby. He wasn't at all sure for how long he had been hearing it. His body felt heavy where it laid on stiff, recently washed sheets, and the air he breathed in contained hints of something chemical. He tried to lift his drooping eyelids to look around and find his bearings, but they refused to respond to his will at all.

Yuuri flinched inwardly as he felt a warm hand touch his, and he realized that it didn't belong to Victor.

_Where is Victor?_

_Where am I?_

_This…is a hospital?_

Mr. Katsuki," said a kind, soft spoken male voice that immediately reminded him of Victor's, "I am Doctor Daniil Tyomkin."

Yuuri tried to speak, only to find that it just seemed to make the monitors around his body beep more loudly and insistently.

"I know you must be confused," the doctor's voice intoned patiently, "You have been unconscious for quite awhile now. It will take time for your body to fully wake. Try to relax as much as you can and take this slowly. Just know that you are safe here. We are glad that you have come back to us."

The man paused as Yuuri struggled to catch his suddenly shortened breath, and gradually, the beeping around him calmed.

"Good, Yuuri," the man said encouragingly, "Do your best to remain calm. You will fully awaken soon and we will help you make sense of what has happened to you."

_What happened to me?_

_What does he mean? _Yuuri wondered, _If I've been hurt and unconscious, then I know that Victor should be here. Though, if I've been out cold for awhile, he may have left to do something. I just wonder where I am. A hospital it seems, and with Russian doctors. But why? Did I fall and hurt myself badly in practice…or did something else happen?_

"It is time for your next medication," Doctor Tyomkin told him, "It will make you a little drowsy. Just be calm and let it do its work. You are healing well, considering all you've been through."

_So, it was an accident? What kind of accident? Was Victor involved? Is he okay?_

"V-vic…tor?"

_My voice sounds like I'm drunk. It's probably the medication he gave me. But…I need to know! What happened to Victor? Why isn't he here? Victor should be here._

"Easy now," the doctor's voice said quietly, "I am adding your medication to the IV."

"Victor!" Yuuri gasped, stiffening and trying to move, "Wh-where…?"

He felt an odd sensation in his lips and his mind began to fog again.

"There now," Doctor Tyomkin said kindly, "That should help you sleep a bit."

"Vic…tor," Yuuri stammered, "Victor, wh-wh…"

He felt the doctor's cool hand brush against his cheek and his eyes cracked open enough to catch a glimpse of calm, light green eyes that watched him closely. Then, his vision grew hazy again and he felt consciousness slipping away.

"Sleep now, Yuuri," the doctor urged him, "I don't want you to have any worries at all. I am here and I won't let anything else happen to you. You are safe with me. I will always take care of you."

"B-but…" Yuuri panted, trailing off.

The man's handsome, pale face wavered in Yuuri's mind, twisting and rearranging itself into Victor's comely visage.

_Victor…_

The image of his husband flickered, but he could see that Victor had heard him and that he was smiling lovingly.

_Yuuri_, Victor said reassuringly, _even if I'm not here, I am with you in spirit._

_Victor! _Yuuri called back in his mind, _Victor, please, where are you? _

_I need you._

_I really need you…_

…_Victor…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Can you tell me what happened here?" a policeman asked, holding his pen and notepad ready as paramedics behind him leaned over Victor's unconscious body, carefully taking his vital signs and assessing his condition.

Yurio frowned and shook his head firmly.

"We didn't see it happen," he explained, "It's just that Victor and Yuuri were supposed to meet me at my apartment after their practice. It got late, and I knew how to look up Victor's location with an app we'd used to find his phone the other day. I used the app and it led us here, where we found him like that. Out cold, just like you see."

"Is Victor going to be all right?" Otabek asked in a concerned tone.

"The medics are doing all that they can," the policeman assured Victor's two worried friends, "If you could just answer a few more questions, it will help us to determine exactly what happened here."

"Of course," Otabek answered, nodding.

The policeman turned his attention back to Yurio.

"You said that you tracked Victor's cell phone, using an app?" he asked.

"Yes, Victor lost his phone the other day and I was showing him how to log in on a computer or another phone. I used my phone to find his. So, tonight, when he didn't show, I used the information he gave me before to log in and find him."

"How many times did you check his location, using the app?" the cop asked.

"Twice," Yurio answered, "I did it about two hours ago and it said his phone was here. I thought it was weird, because Victor was supposed to be at skating practice with Yuuri Katsuki, or he was supposed to be on his way to my place to talk about an exhibition. I was annoyed he wasn't where he was supposed to be, but I wrote it off as…"

He paused, flushing slightly, and the policeman gave him a curious look.

"Yes?"

"Eh," Yurio said, blushing more brightly, "I thought, I don't know, that maybe they were making out in Victor's car or something."

"Victor and Yuuri Katsuki are…?"

"They're married."

He realized immediately that he'd said the wrong thing and backpedaled slightly.

"Well, I mean, they're…they can't really _be_ married, but…they're _together_, you know."

"Mmhmm," the policeman said patiently, "So, you thought that they were possibly having sexual relations in Victor's car out here because it is a remote area?"

"Erm, yeah, that's right," Yurio confirmed, "When I checked again, the app still said that Victor's phone was out here, and that didn't make sense, so Otabek and I came here and found Victor."

"You were expecting Yuuri Katsuki to be with him?" asked the policeman, "Do you think he may have been involved in this accident and maybe staggered away, injured?"

"We aren't sure," Otabek replied, glancing at the damaged car, "We were mostly worried about getting help for Victor. We didn't see any sign that Yuuri was with him, and we couldn't find Yuuri's phone."

"Mmhmm, can you call it for me?"

"What?" Yurio asked, blinking.

"Can you call Yuuri Katsuki's phone?" the cop repeated.

"Oh, yeah, sure."

Yurio pulled out his phone and dialed the number. He paused for a moment, then his frown deepened.

"It went right to voicemail," he reported, "Didn't even ring. It may be out of battery or something."

Okay, we're almost done. When is the last time either if you spoke directly to Victor or Yuuri? And did you confirm the plans for Victor to meet you?"

"It was around 1 or 1:30," Yurio recalled, "Victor called and he said that he and Yuuri would be over after practice to talk about the exhibition."

"Did he say where he was or where Yuuri Katsuki was, at the time?"

"They were having lunch out somewhere between Victor's practice time and Yuuri's," Yurio answered, "I could hear people talking, you know, like ordering food, in the background. Victor didn't say what place it was."

"Okay, I think I have enough for now. I'm going to take a closer look at the car and the area around it. You can move closer, but be careful not to disturb the scene."

"Of course," Otabek said, nodding.

The two moved closer to where the medics were carefully stabilizing Victor's neck in a brace.

"H-how is he doing?" Yurio asked in an unsteady voice.

"Right now, it looks like your friend has a moderately serious concussion and a broken wrist. We'll be cautious moving him, because we want to check him for neck and spinal injuries at the hospital, just to be sure there's nothing to worry about."

The two medics worked together to use a backboard to stabilize and secure the injured skater's body as he was slowly removed from the wrecked vehicle. The policeman returned to Victor's two friends, who waited a short distance away.

"I have a few more questions for the two of you," he said, glancing back at the damaged car, "First, can you tell me if there has been any sign of trouble in Victor's relationship with Yuuri Katsuki lately?"

"Are you kidding me?" Yurio said, shaking his head firmly, "Those two idiots are never without each other. They are close."

"Mmhmm, which is why you assumed that if they were out here, it must be to share intimacy?"

Yurio shrugged.

"I just couldn't think of anything else that would make them come here."

"Are your friends heavy drinkers?" the policeman asked.

Yurio shrugged.

"Yuuri Katsuki, sometimes, but Victor drinks more."

"Do you know if your friends were drinking tonight?"

"I don't know for sure," Yurio, "but I can tell you that Victor never drinks until after practice is done for the day and he never drives drunk."

"Hmm, but you don't know what time their practice may have ended," the cop pointed out, "and I will just tell you that both the paramedics and I smelled alcohol on Mr. Nikiforov's breath just now. We will be confirming whether or not he was drinking and driving, but you say that it would be out of character for him to do so?"

"You bet it would be," Yurio said with certainty, "A few years ago, Victor had a friend who died in a car accident because he had been drinking. Another skater friend of theirs was injured in the accident and lost a leg. Victor was really freaked out and after that, he always had someone sober drive him home after."

"And…you are absolutely sure there was no sign of any problems between Victor and Yuuri Katsuki?"

"I'm sure," Yurio insisted.

"I am also," Otabek added.

"Very well," the policeman said, "I think we're finished here. I'll let you know if I have any more questions. Why don't you go on to the hospital with your friend?"

Yurio and Otabek turned away and headed for their car. Behind them, the policeman watched until the two had driven away, then he walked back to his car, where his partner waited.

"Renat, I think we're going to need a team sent out for a closer examination of the scene. This looks like may be a homicide."

XXXXXXXXXX

Daniil entered Yuuri Katsuki's treatment room and found a nurse taking the skater's vital signs. He watched silently for a moment, then moved closer.

"How is he doing?" the doctor asked.

"His vital signs are stable," the nurse reported, "He has fully stabilized."

"Good," Daniil said approvingly, "We need to move forward slowly. It's a process. We wouldn't want to do anything that could damage him."

"Of course not, Doctor," the nurse agreed.

Daniil took the patient's chart from the end of the bed and added several notes before replacing it.

"I want you to continue to keep him in this state. I do not want him to wake for awhile. I'll be back to administer the next medication."

He noticed the discomfited look on the nurse's face and frowned.

"Is there anything wrong, Lara?" he asked calmly.

"N-no, Doctor," the nurse assured him, "I suppose that I was just worried about how he'll respond to the medication. After all, it is still experimental."

"Hmm," Daniil said, rubbing his chin, "it is experimental, but I have charted its success in all of my trials. I know it will work. Trust me, when Yuuri Katsuki wakes, he is going to be a whole new person…one with no ties at all to his former life."

The nurse's blue eyes still registered a measure of doubt, but she forced a smile and nodded.

"Of course."

"Lara," Daniil said, moving closer to her, "are you having second thoughts? You are being paid very well, and you did go into this with your eyes open."

"I did," Lara agreed hastily, "I apologize if I gave you the wrong idea."

The nurse sighed and looked down at Yuuri's troubled sleeping face.

"I just feel sad about what he's going to go through when he wakes."

"Ah, yes, it will be difficult for him," the doctor agreed, slipping an arm around the younger nurse, "but…that is where you really come in. After all, you are very good at comforting people. I'll be depending on you to help keep Yuuri encouraged as he comes to grips with his new reality."

"I understand," Lara assured him, "I just…don't like the thought of him suffering."

"Hmm, neither do I," the doctor agreed, "Unfortunately, some suffering is simply…unavoidable."

"Yes, but can you tell me, why are you doing all of this? Why is it necessary to go to such lengths?"

The doctor smiled down at the curious nurse and his hand slipped into his pocket.

"I'm sure it seems odd to you," he said, holding her gaze as he removed a syringe and nudged the cap off, "Let me assure you that everything I am doing is necessary. I will do my very best to keep Yuuri's suffering to a minimum, but there is a man who needs to pay for something, and I am determined to see that he pays in full…"

The doctor paused, smiling into the nurse's widened eyes as he plunged the needle into her body and watched as she stiffened and slowly collapsed at his feet.

"Sometimes justice requires sacrifice," Daniil went on, watching as the nurse's body twitched several times, then went ominously still, "and I promise you, I will be sure that your sacrifice is not in vain. When I am done, Victor Nikiforov is going to have lost everything…and his most precious treasure…will be mine."

XXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Otabek's car pulled into a spot in front of the hospital, Yurio hastily exited the vehicle and hurried inside to the front desk.

"May I help you?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah, we're here for our friend, Victor Nikiforov? He was just brought into emergency."

"Of course," the nurse said, nodding, "You and your friend can wait in the area over there. Someone else has arrived already."

Yurio and Otabek followed the nurse's directions and found Yakov standing in the waiting area with his arms crossed and his face scowling.

"It's about time you are here," he complained, "I got here before the ambulance even did."

"Did you see him? Did Victor say anything to you?" Yurio asked urgently.

"I didn't see Vitya," Yakov informed them, "but I was told that he is still unconscious and that they are going to x-ray him to rule out injuries to his neck and back. Are the two of you going to tell me what the hell happened to him?"

"That's just it. We don't know," Yurio said anxiously, "Victor was supposed to meet us at my place after practice, but he and pork cutlet bowl never showed up. I used an app to find Victor's phone, and we found his car crashed out on some road not anywhere near where he was supposed to be!"

"And there was no sign of Yuuri Katsuki?"

"None," Otabek confirmed.

"That is troublesome," Yakov said, shaking his head, "Vitya is in a lot of trouble, I'm afraid."

As if to punctuate his words, a pair of policemen entered the emergency room and approached the nurse's desk.

"Excuse me," one of the men said, "we need to know where we can find Victor Nikiforov. We understand he was brought here for treatment?"

"Yes," the nurse answered, "you can wait over there. The doctors are working on him now."

"We understand, but we must insist on going to his treatment room now. Mr. Nikiforov is being officially investigated for the disappearance of his student and lover, Yuuri Katsuki."


	3. First, Do No Harm

**Chapter 3: First, Do No Harm**

"Yuuri?" a male voice called softly, the words sounding garbled and distant to the young man who laid, barely conscious on a hospital bed.

Yuuri found himself drawn back in time to the banquet held after his first Grand Prix Final.

_The banquet room was the last place he wanted to be after embarrassing himself and probably all of Japan with his shockingly incompetent performance on the ice. And worse than that embarrassment was that he had followed up his failure with a cringeworthy display of rudeness when Victor Nikiforov, his lifelong idol and the man who had inspired him to become a skater, had offered to have a photo taken with him._

"_Urgh! Like I'd want to remember anything about tonight," Yuuri muttered under his breath._

"_What was that?" Celestino asked, glancing down at him, "Come now, Yuuri. Look, everyone is having a good time. There's pizza and drinks. Go on. No one's thinking about the final now. Everyone is just relaxing and having fun. Off with you."_

"_B-but…!" Yuuri stammered._

_His face reddened as he caught sight of Victor out of the corner of an eye and realized that Victor had noticed his entry into the room._

"_Just great," he sighed, sinking into the crowd and heading for the well-stocked champagne table._

_It took a lot of drinks, but he finally felt his embarrassment slowly begin to fade. He remained concealed in a corner, watching as his longtime idol smiled and laughed, talking to his friends and making the socialization look so easy. Yuuri's teeth clenched and he swallowed another glass of champagne, then he slammed the empty glass down on the table and glanced at Victor again._

_He knew that the Russian skater was friendly to his fans, and he would have posed for a picture or talked to him if he could just make his legs move properly. _

"_I don't deserve you," Yuuri breathed miserably, "but…I could…if…"_

_There were no judges, no scores and no announcers…just Yuuri Katsuki his inhibitions smashed by a flood of alcohol._

"_I just have to show you m-my dancing!" he concluded._

_He started with the slim, blonde idiot, who had waylaid him in the bathroom, calling him incompetent and saying he should quit. And after that, he trounced the sexy Chris Giacometti in a dance off on the pole. _

_While everyone was still laughing and clapping enthusiastically, Yuuri set his sights on his idol, the legendary Victor Nikiforov, who looked so handsome and so pleased by Yuuri's performance. Yuuri's lips curled and his dark eyes narrowed as he stalked the object of his desires, then he reached out a hand and took Victor's without asking, making the beautiful gold medal winner suck in a surprised breath and turn widened blue-green eyes to meet his…_

"Yuuri? Yuuri Katsuki?"

Yuuri sucked in a slow, labored breath. He could barely crack his eyes open, and the light was blinding, even partially blocked by the shape of a man.

"_Want to get a photo?" Victor asked, smiling widely, "Sure thing!"_

"V-victor?" Yuuri moaned dazedly.

But as the light began to resolve around the man leaning over him, he realized that the shape was wrong. This man was shorter than Victor and his hair was a dark blonde. The man's eyes were light, like Victor's, but pale green. His smile was gentle, but lacked Victor's sexy little smirk. No, this man was not Victor.

"Wh-who…?" he mumbled groggily.

"Ah, you can hear me now?" the man said with a heavy Russian accent, "That is good, very good, Yuuri."

"Where am I?" Yuuri asked, turning his head to look out the window.

He could only see a sky covered with dark, ominous looking clouds.

"You are in a private medical clinic near Saint Petersburg," the man explained, "You were brought here and placed in my care some time ago."

"S-some time…?" Yuuri repeated, blinking to try to clear his vision, "What happened? Why am I here? Did I fall and hit my head or something?"

The doctor paused, biting his lip gently.

"No," he answered softly, "You were not injured in a fall, Yuuri."

"Then…"

"It was a car accident that happened a very long time ago," the man explained, "But…we need to start at the beginning. I am Daniil Tyomkin. I am a specialist in spinal cord injuries and recovery."

Yuuri's breath caught and his eyes widened.

"S-spinal cord…?" he managed shakily, "I have a…spinal cord injury?"

"Yes," the doctor affirmed, his eyes filled with regret, "but Yuuri, I want to reassure you that I am the best there is in this kind of recovery. I have a very talented staff, and we have helped many, many injured people come back from this kind of injury."

Yuuri's brown eyes filled with tears.

"Victor," he said in a choked voice, "Where is my husband?"

"Your husband?" Daniil repeated, frowning at the word.

Yuuri swallowed hard, remembering.

_Victor warned me that if one of us was hurt or sick, our marriage wouldn't be recognized, so we signed papers naming each other as emergency contacts and giving power of attorney to make decisions for each other._

"Eh, I mean…my coach, Victor," he corrected himself, "If I was unconscious, then Victor should have been making decisions for me. Please, where is Victor?"

"You're getting quite riled," the doctor observed, glancing at the heart monitor near Yuuri, "Perhaps you should rest a bit more before we talk."

"No!" Yuuri demanded, trying to sit up.

He made a sound of surprise at the restraints that held him carefully in place.

"Wh-what are you doing? Please, let me up!"

Tyomkin gave him an apologetic look.

"I am…so sorry, Yuuri," he said sympathetically, "You must not struggle against the restraints. They are there to protect your back while it heals."

"WHERE IS VICTOR?" Yuuri sobbed, "Tell me where he is! I need to know!"

The doctor started to speak, then stopped again as a nurse entered the room alongside a young man in street clothes, whose face Yuuri immediately recognized.

_Aleksey Gavrikov? He's an old friend of Victor's, but he wasn't skating for awhile. I forget why…_

"Aleksey?" he inquired, his eyes widening.

The light haired, grey-eyed Russian skater glanced at Daniil, who nodded briefly and motioned for the nurse to follow him out of the room. Aleksey moved closer and sat down in a chair by the bed. He studied Yuuri for a moment, then gathered himself.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I know you were expecting Victor to be here."

"Where is Victor?" Yuuri asked urgently, "Why isn't he here, Aleksey?"

The Russian took a steadying breath.

"Vitya is dead," he confessed softly.

"What?" Yuuri said breathlessly, tears welling up in his eyes again.

"I'm sorry," Aleksey said anxiously, "I am sorry he isn't here and I'm sorry that I'm the one who has to tell you, but…Yakov, who would have been here for Vitya, has also passed."

"Yakov too?" Yuuri said, his face going white.

"It is too much," Aleksey said, standing and putting his hands over his face, "Please forgive me! I can't…"

He turned away and started for the door.

"Wait!" Yuuri cried, "Aleksey, don't leave! Please, you have to tell me what happened? I don't understand. How did…? Was Victor in the car accident and Yakov too?"

"N-no," the other skater said, stopping and turning to look back at him cautiously, "Yakov was an old man. He died of heart failure a couple of years ago. He was never really the same after you were injured and Victor died in the crash."

"So…Victor and I were in a car accident?" Yuuri mused, furrowing his brow and sniffing, "I…I don't remember anything like that."

Aleksey walked slowly back to the chair and sat down again. He wrung his hands for a moment, then continued.

"It was…five years ago…"

"Five years?" Yuuri repeated, barely able to believe.

Aleksey nodded.

"Practice for the day had ended and it was my birthday, so I invited you both to go out after. We celebrated until after midnight, then you and Vitya left together in his convertible. Yakov called me the next day, looking for you two. No one knew where you were…until the police came to the rink. Yakov was Vitya's next of kin, since you were unconscious and so badly hurt. He doesn't have other family. Yakov was called to identify a body found in the wreckage of a car that had crashed outside of town. The wreck was off the road and in the bushes, so it wasn't found until the next day. By then, Vitya was gone…and you…you barely survived."

Aleksey took a shaky breath and removed a newspaper clipping from his pocket. Yuuri's eyes overflowed with tears as he looked at the picture of them that had been taken on the night after he'd won the silver medal in his second try at the Grand Prix Final. He shook his head at the date printed on the paper, then silently read the heading.

_Russian legend, Victor Nikiforov killed, Japanese skater, Yuuri Katsuki badly injured in drunk driving accident._

"The unthinkable has happened," he read in a soft, quaking voice, "Russia's figure skating prince, Victor Nikiforov, who had also begun to shine as a skating coach and choreographer, has died. Nikiforov was killed and his student, Yuuri Katsuki, was devastatingly injured when Nikiforov, who had been drinking heavily in celebration at a nearby bar, went off the road on a curve and ran his car into a tree. Police responding to a report of smoke in a remote area outside town found Nikiforov had been thrown through the windshield and ejected from the vehicle and that Katsuki was trapped beneath it as it rolled over in the accident."

Yuuri looked up at Aleksey, his eyes leaking more tears as the truth set in.

"V-victor?" he asked shakily, "He's really…?"

"I'm so sorry," Aleksey said, wringing his hands as he looked down at them, "Th-they said that he died instantly. He didn't suffer."

Yuuri sniffed, rubbing his eyes and nodded.

"I'm glad for that," he whispered, "So…Victor and Yakov have died. What about my family? If Victor couldn't be here, at least my sister would have come."

"Oh," Aleksey said, indicating a stack of letters on the bedside table, "there are letters from your family. They did come to see you, but…I'm afraid that last year's earthquake impacted their finances very hard."

"An earthquake…"

"Yes, and with Victor gone and most of his money tied up until the authorities could clear it for application to your medical bills, your family tried to help out. They just reached the point where they really couldn't do anymore. So, they have been writing."

Aleksey gave him a sad smile.

"I am sure the letters will bring you more up to date on things. I've also saved some newspapers."

"Where is my phone?" Yuuri asked suddenly, "I want to call them. I haven't heard their voices in so long…"

Aleksey shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe the staff can help you with that. But, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. This place is pretty remote, and it's the dead of winter. This is a long term care and recovery facility, very exclusive. Yakov chose it for you because of Doctor Tyomkin's reputation. If anyone can get you walking again…"

Yuuri's face fell.

"What is it?" Aleksey asked, studying him more closely for a moment.

"Walking," Yuuri said, looking down at the blanket covering his lower body, "You don't say it, but…my skating career is over too, isn't it?"

The other skater's breath caught, and he lowered his eyes.

"I don't know about that. Doctor Tyomkin is the very best. That's why you are here."

"Ah, such a lovely declaration," Daniil said from the doorway, "Thank you, Aleksey. Now, I think I had better talk with Yuuri."

He waited as Aleksey walked out, then he gazed at Yuuri briefly.

"It looks like Aleksey filled you in on things," he observed, "Are you all right, Yuuri?"

"No," Yuuri admitted, "I'm really not. I need to talk to my family. Is there a phone?"

Daniil shook his head gently.

"We are outside of Saint Peterburg and we probably won't have phone service much through the winter. I know it seems strange, but I have found that the remoteness of this location and its beauty provide a prime location for recoveries like yours. You need to focus on getting well. Your relatives will continue to write to you, and you can write back to them. Just give the letters to your nurse and she will mail them for you."

"But, I want to tell my sister that if she wants to fly here, I can pay for her to come. I can help my family with what's in my bank account."

Yuuri paused as the doctor laid a hand on his forearm, looking down into his distressed eyes.

"You have been here for five years," he said quietly, "and you have had multiple surgeries. There have been expensive treatments. Of course, Victor's money went to you as well, but that will not last forever either. You need to be cautious with your finances while you are still in my care."

"Oh," Yuuri said, shaking his head, "It just seems so strange, having missed the passing of five years. You must understand how I feel, wanting to just see my family or at least hear their voices?"

"Of course," the doctor assured him, "I will see what I can do about that. In the meantime, I want you to rest and eat. We need to build up your strength so that we can get you back on your feet."

"Will I ever ice skate again?" Yuuri asked impulsively.

His heart sank as the doctor's eyes darkened with much deeper regret.

"Why don't we just take things in small stages?" he suggested, "We will begin in the morning."

Yuuri let out a shuddering breath and nodded silently.

"Good," the doctor said approvingly, "I will be back then. Touch the button for your nurse if you need anything during the night."

"Okay, thank you."

The doctor leaned over Yuuri and injected something into his IV that sent his head into a swirling spin again. When he was sure Yuuri was unconscious again, Daniil turned and headed out of the room. He found an anxious Aleksey waiting for him.

"Thank you, Aleksey," the doctor said, smirking and extending a hand that held a small paper bag, "Your payment."

"It's the real stuff, right?" the Russian skater asked stridently, "No bullshit? I am in constant pain from that fall I took."

"Yes, yes," Daniil assured him, "Well, just take what is in that bag and I promise you, your pain will be relieved."

"Right," the skater said, swallowing hard as he accepted the bag, "I don't have to do anything else, right? That was it?"

"That was it," the doctor agreed, "Our deal has concluded."

"Okay," Aleksey answered, hurrying to the door, "Bye, Doc."

Daniil's pale green eyes closed and his lips curved into a wicked smile.

"Goodbye, Aleksey."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yurio sat alongside Otabek Altin at Victor's bedside, while Yakov stood near the door with his arms crossed and armed guards outside the door.

"He's been out cold for too long," Yurio complained, "Why isn't he waking up?"

"The doctor said that Vitya received a sharp blow to the head," Yakov reminded him gruffly, "Head injuries can be tricky."

He sighed and lowered his voice to avoid the men outside the room hearing.

"Besides, you know that the moment Vitya wakes, the authorities will want to move him to the prison infirmary to await trial. He's been accused a serious crime, and when they found Yuuri Katsuki's cell phone buried near the crash site, it only made Vitya look more guilty. The evidence is piling up against him."

"What about the fact that the drug testing indicated that Victor wasn't drunk?" Otabek asked, "It was suspicious that despite finding there had been alcohol in his mouth, he hadn't swallowed more than a mouthful. Are they looking into that?"

"Hmm, that is curious," Yakov agreed, "but I think the authorities are focused on finding things to implicate Vitya in Yuuri Katsuki's disappearance."

"This is bullshit!" Yurio shouted, earning a warning glance from Yakov as one of the guards peeked into the room, "Sorry. I was just…surprised about something."

Yurio lowered his voice carefully.

"You and I both know that Victor wouldn't ever hurt the pork cutlet bowl. They are sickeningly in love. Victor would die rather than hurt Yuuri Katsuki."

"Yes, we know it," said Yakov, "but we need proof."

He rubbed his chin for a moment, then nodded.

"And I think since the police won't help us, then you two will have to look for it."

"What?" Yurio objected, "Otabek and me? What makes you think we'll be able to handle whoever it is who set Victor up and stole or killed the pork cutlet bowl?"

"I didn't say you had to handle them," Yakov clarified, "I only said you need to find the proof to clear Vitya!"


	4. Healing Hands

**Chapter 4: Healing Hands**

Daniil's green eyes watched closely as Yuuri breathed slowly, moaning now and again and sometimes calling Victor's name, first longingly, then sadly. Tears leaked from the corners of the young man's eyes and onto his pale face. Daniil's fingertips brushed them away gently.

"He breaks hearts like yours all of the time, doesn't he?" the doctor whispered softly in Russian, "Shall I tell you about the time he made me cry too, Yuuri Katsuki?"

A long shuddering sigh escaped him and he sat down at Yuuri's side, watching him as his sleep deepened and the tears stopped.

"I had a brother, Yuuri," Daniil breathed, "a twin to me. We were like one soul in two bodies…so very close. We…did everything together…had the same friends, we both loved sports and…we both loved the same beautiful man."

"V-victor…" Yuuri moaned, shifting uncomfortably beneath the gentle restraints.

"Yes," the doctor agreed, "You see, before you were his obsession, he was ours. My brother and I watched him skate and we fell hard for him, the handsome and oh so talented Victor. We started to skate too, and through skating, we met him and became…"

Daniil paused as the door opened and a male nurse entered the room. The young man handed him a file, glancing at Yuuri.

"Here are the results of the latest exam. He seems reactive to the compound, and as you projected, seems to have no idea that the test memory we implanted was fake."

The doctor smiled.

"Good," he answered approvingly, "I want you to monitor while I continue the test sequence and then we will see where we are."

He waited as the nurse left, then turned his attention back to the young man lying in the hospital bed.

"Yuuri," he called softly, "Yuuri, please wake up."

The young man in the bed stirred and his brown eyes opened and blinked, very slowly focusing on him. He quivered and his voice shook when he spoke.

"D-daniil?"

"Yes," the doctor said, sitting down at his bedside and taking Yuuri's hand in his, "I am here, Yuuri."

Yuuri's dark eyes filled with tears.

"V-victor?" Yuuri whispered.

Daniil looked back at Yuuri in silence, allowing him to continue.

Yuuri shook harder.

"It's really true then?" he managed softly, "Victor was driving drunk and crashed the car? H-he died?"

Daniil took Yuuri's hands in his.

"Yes," he answered sadly, "You…remember now?"

"I don't know," Yuuri confessed, "I do remember telling Victor not to drive because he had been drinking."

"Okay, I know it is painful, Yuuri, but unfortunately, I must know how much of your memory has returned, so I must ask. Do you remember where you were?"

Yuuri closed his eyes tightly, straining his mind until a few flashes of memory returned.

"We were at a bar."

"Which one?"

"The one out by the highway. We were in the parking lot and Victor wanted to leave. He got in the car and I told him not to drive. He got angry then and yelled at me to get in. I didn't know what to do. I was scared of him getting hurt if he drove off drunk and mad, so I tried to calm him down by getting in. But…he took off, going fast. I…don't remember what happened after that."

"It's all right," Daniil assured him, "I am encouraged by how much is coming back. I know this it terribly painful for you, but it is part of your recovery to know the truth and to deal with your emotions about that. A counselor will be coming to work with you…to help you cope with this part of your recovery. I will continue to work with you on your physical recovery."

"Thank you, Doctor," Yuuri said softly, looking down at their still joined hands.

Daniil studied his tormented expression in silence for several minutes, allowing him to process, then he smiled kindly and squeezed the Japanese skater's hand.

"I have some good news for you," he informed Yuuri, "There is a new therapy that shows promise in restoring feeling to the limbs of some paralysis patients. I have looked into the details and I think you would be a good candidate for the treatment. If you like, we can go over the details and…"

"I don't care about the details," Yuuri interrupted.

Daniil blinked in surprise, gazing at the younger man questioningly.

"You…?"

"I want to get well," Yuuri said firmly, "I want to walk again. And even more than that, I want to go home to Japan. In fact, I want to go back there now and have my treatments done there."

"Ah," the stunned physician said, shaking his head, "I understand your desire to do those things, but…there are…things we are doing that can only be done here. I am the number one specialist in this medical area in the world, and I am based here. Yuuri, I know you want to go home. I understand, but I must ask you to please be patient and let me complete the treatments I have begun, so that your results are the best they can be. With the things I have in mind to try, I know I can get you walking. I may even be able to help you reach the point where you can ice skate…perhaps not professionally, but…"

"No," Yuuri said sternly, earning another look of surprise from Daniil.

"What?" the doctor inquired, "But I thought that you loved skating and wanted to…"

"No," Yuuri said, letting go of Daniil's hand and clenching at the bedding, "I don't want to skate…not ever again."

"Wh-what?" Daniil asked, staring.

Yuuri gave him a tortured look, and his brown eyes filled with angry tears.

"I grew up idolizing Victor. Everything that I loved about skating revolved around him. And when Victor came to Hasetsu, I thought that we both loved skating more than anything. It's why I married him and moved to Russia to train with him. But…I was wrong…about a lot of things. I thought that skating…I thought that _I_ meant more than anything to Victor. But Victor threw all of that away, and why? Because Victor was a drunk, and in the end, he chose drinking and it killed him and crippled me. So…I don't want to skate anymore. I still want to get well, but I don't want anything in my life to remind me of how wrong I was…how stupid I was. I don't want there to be anything…that reminds me of him."

Daniil frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"This is a very serious decision you are making," he said solemnly, "I encourage you to continue to think about this carefully and talk about it to your counselor. You should take things one day at a time and focus on getting well. Long term decisions are something that you can do as you progress."

"I suppose," Yuuri sighed, "Maybe it's hard to understand, but…I knew Victor sometimes acted impulsively and unwisely. I just didn't know he could be that stupid. So stupid that he'd throw everything away like this."

"Hmm, I am sure that Victor didn't choose to…"

"He chose to drink and drive," Yuuri said firmly, "I remember that now. And when he made that choice, he chose all of this."

Daniil's head bowed slightly, hiding a little smile that rose on his lips as he made several notes in Yuuri's chart.

"Please," he said, forcing the smile away and looking at Yuuri again, "let's just focus on your recovery now."

_Amazing! _

_He is truly convinced that the drunk driving happened. And as expected, his own mind is creating the visual scene, filling in all of the blanks. This couldn't have worked out better. I have made Yuuri Katsuki despise Victor._

_Soon, all that he will care about in the world…will be me!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Victor heard soft voices sounding nearby, and he sucked in a deeper breath and started to move, only to feel a familiar hand touch his in warning.

"Don't move too much," Yakov warned him, "and for god's sake, don't let anyone see you are awake!"

Victor took another steadying breath and opened his eyes to find his skating coach leaning over him slightly, and making sure he couldn't be seen by whoever else might be near the room.

"Wh-what happened?" he whispered back, "Yakov, where am I?"

"You are in the Saint Petersburg Hospital," the elder man informed him, "You have been unconscious for several days."

"But, what happened to me? I passed out? I don't remember!" Victor exclaimed softly.

"Don't move too much!" Yakov scolded him, still whispering, "You were found in your car. It was crashed on the side of the highway, nowhere near where you should have been."

"I crashed my car?" Victor asked, giving Yakov an alarmed look, "Was Yuuri with me? Was he hurt? Where is he?"

"Shh! Not so loud!" Yakov hissed, "Yuuri should have been with you. The two of you were practicing, then you were supposed to meet with Yuri and Otabek, but the two of you never arrived. Yuri recalled showing you how to use an application to find your phone and he was the one who discovered where you were. He and Otabek went to the place and they found you, with no sign of Yuuri Katsuki anywhere."

"What? But, how can this be?" Victor objected, "It doesn't make any sense, and now that you mention it, I do remember that Yuuri and I were planning to go to meet Yurio."

"What is the last thing that you remember?" the old man inquired.

Victor's brow furrowed and he shook his head, frowning.

"I'm not sure. I remember skating with Yuuri and starting to leave, but…then everything seems hazy. I don't remember getting into the car or driving."

"And you weren't drinking?" asked Yakov.

"Yakov!" Victor objected.

"You were found smelling of alcohol," Yakov explained, "but further investigation concluded you were not drunk. Still, there is something that you need to know. The police investigating your accident found no sign of Yuuri in the car, yet they found his cell phone buried, not far from the accident site."

Victor's eyes widened.

"Yuuri?" he demanded, "Where is he, Yakov? What happened to Yuuri?"

"Calm down!" Yakov warned him.

"How can you ask me to calm down?" Victor demanded, "You tell me that my car is wrecked, Yuuri is…what? Is he missing? His cell phone was found buried somewhere? And you want me to be calm? Are you crazy?"

"I am not crazy," Yakov said sternly, "I am trying to make sure that you are not accused of murder!"

"Wh-what? Whose murder am I suspected of?"

Yakov took a breath and released it in a huff.

"Yuuri Katsuki's," he said, watching as Victor's expression shifted from shock to disbelief, to absolute horror.

"Y-yuuri?"

"They have not found a body," Yakov explained hastily, "so they can't be one hundred percent sure, but given the evidence, they are convinced that you murdered Yuuri Katsuki and hid the body somewhere out near the accident site. Right now, dozens of agents are poring over the area, looking for any sign. And there are armed guards here at the hospital, outside this room, just waiting for you to wake up so that they can haul you off to jail to await trial!"

Yakov made a sound of surprise as Victor pushed against him, trying to sit up.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to find him!" Victor said urgently, "I have to find Yuuri!"

"_Lie down_!" Yakov insisted, "Stop moving so much and lower your voice! If those guards hear you, then you will be going nowhere but jail."

"But…Yuuri!"

"Yuri and Otabek have gone out to the accident site to see what they can learn. They are also going to see if anyone out in the area saw anything. _You_ need to listen to me and pretend you are still out cold! I am trying right now to find some way to ensure that you don't get taken in."

Victor's face paled at the thought and Yakov nodded.

"You are wise to be worried about that," he said approvingly, "You are a homosexual man and you are a celebrity. If you are arrested, we may never know what happens to you after that. I have called in a few favors and I maybe able to get you freed directly from the hospital, but if you give yourself away…"

He broke off and Victor closed his eyes and went still as one of the guards stepped into the hospital room with a detective at his side.

"Have you found something?" he asked, "Were the searchers able to locate any sign of Yuuri Katsuki?"

"We did not find his body," the detective informed him, "however, we did find something."

"What is it? What did you find?"

The detective looked down at Victor's unconscious body and shook his head.

"We found what we believe to be Yuuri Katsuki's clothing, splattered with blood and wrapped around a bloody knife. Honestly…even if he woke now, I think Victor would have a tough time explaining all of this."

Yakov stiffened as Victor sat up in the bed and locked eyes with the surprised detective.

"Victor!" Yakov snapped.

"It's okay," Victor said reassuringly, "You understand, this man and I both want the same thing. Both of us most want…to find Yuuri alive! We won't do that unless we gather all of the facts. So, Officer, ask me anything you want. Just please, let me help to search for Yuuri!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Did you see that?" Yurio hissed, peeking through the binoculars he held and then handing them to Otabek, who accepted them and looked through them before loosing a soft exclamation and shaking his head worriedly.

"This is not a good development."

"No shit!" said Yurio, "That is definitely something I've seen the pork cutlet bowl wear before. If it's not his, it looks just like it!"

"This is very troubling."

"Troubling?" Yurio repeated sarcastically, "This is practically fucking saying that Yuuri Katsuki is _dead_!"

Yurio let out a hissing breath and shook his head firmly.

"There's no way he's dead. I don't fucking believe it!" he snapped angrily.

"Then," Otabek said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "what do you think happened to him? Someone has gone to a great deal of effort to make the police believe Yuuri is dead and that Victor killed him. They went to a lot of effort, but there are some parts of the story that are already unraveling…like the fact that alcohol was found on Victor's breath, but testing proved he wasn't drunk."

"Hmm, but that could just make him look more guilty of murder, because he could be accused of trying to set up the accident scene to cover the murder."

"Although, why would he put himself in the area of the crime?" Yuri posited, "and especially, why be anywhere near where the evidence was found.? You know what? This whole thing stinks! Someone is up to no good, and I think they want us to give up on pork cutlet bowl being alive."

"So," Otabek concluded, "we will proceed with the assumption that Yuuri _is _still alive. If that's the case, and someone is trying to frame Victor, or at least, make him look guilty to buy time, then what does the person need time for?"

"Huh…obviously, they would need time to get Yuuri away to wherever he was being taken."

"Now, the fact of Victor being made to look guilty could mean that the perpetrator had a grudge against Victor, or…"

"Or it could mean that they were obsessed with the pork cutlet bowl."

Otabek nodded.

"Either seems possible."

"So, do you know of anyone who would bear a grudge against Victor?" Otabek asked, "Maybe someone with an interest in Yuuri?"

Yurio sighed in frustration.

"There are some past competitors who might hate Victor, though I don't know if any of them would have the balls to do something like this. This is…I don't know. It's on a different level of sickness, you know?"

"Yes," Otabek agreed, "I feel the same. We need to look into the people who could possibly have done something like this and try to eliminate some of them to narrow the possibilities."

"We should also probably ask the pork cutlet bowl's family if he has any rabid fans they know of," Yurio added.

"Although, since we are in Russia, it seems less likely it is anyone from Japan."

"You're right," Yurio said, nodding, "All right. We start with Victor's enemies here, then."

"Do you know if maybe Georgi or Mila might be helpful in this area, given that they're older than you and they've known Victor longer?" Otabeck inquired.

"That's a good point. They probably would know better than me."

"Okay," Otabek decided, "I will contact Georgi and Mila while you write down anyone you remember having a grudge of any kind against Victor."

"All right," Yurio said, clenching his teeth, "We're going to find this miserable bastard, no matter what it takes!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Daniil looked up as a nurse entered Yuuri's room and handed him a set of papers.

"Here are the results of the last test run," she informed him, "It was also successful."

She glanced at the patient in the bed then back at the doctor.

"He should be receptive to you now."

"Good," Daniil said approvingly, "Please leave us…but leave the monitors on."

"Yes, of course."

He watched as the young woman left, then he leaned over Yuuri, reducing the flow of medication and patting his face gently to wake him. He watched through intensely focused eyes as Yuuri woke, blinked, then smiled up at him.

"Danya!" Yuuri sighed sleepily.

The doctor smiled warmly and bent to press a tender kiss to Yuuri's soft, cool lips. I little thrill went through his insides as Yuuri moved his hands in the bonds, trying to wrap them around the doctor.

"Danya?" Yuuri queried uncertainly.

"Oh," Daniil said, smiling more widely, "those can come off."

He removed the restraints and met Yuuri for a longer, more intense kiss.

"I have good news for you. The procedure seems to have been successful. Yuuri, very soon, I think we will be able to start working on standing!"

He paused and let his smile fade slightly.

"My love," he said, giving Yuuri a conflicted look, "maybe you should let me inform your family…"

"No," Yuuri said firmly, "don't, Danya."

"But…they will be glad to know."

"I don't want them to know," Yuuri said, his eyes clouding, "When the accident happened, they all took Victor's side. They wouldn't believe me that Victor was selfish and threw away his life and both of our careers."

He wrapped his arms around Daniil's neck and kissed him again, taking the other man's hands and holding them tightly.

"I don't need any of them anymore," Yuuri assured him, "I only need you now."

"Of course," Daniil agreed, curving his palm around Yuuri's face, "I will be here for you, Yuuri…always."

Yuuri's expression wavered, and his eyes blinked and squinted, fading in and out several times before Daniil increased the flow of medication and he dropped off to sleep again.

"Hmm, a little bit more work," the doctor said softly, "You are somewhat resistant, but that won't last for long. Very soon now, Yuuri, I will be the only one left who matters to you…the only one you will ever desire again!"


	5. Cages

**Chapter 5: Cages**

**(Happy November! And happy Yuuri's birthday month! I will have more wonderful posts for all of the November Bleach and Yuri on Ice Birthdays, so stay tuned. Love to all, Spunky)**

Victor shivered as the police officer cuffed his hands firmly behind his back, then helped him onto shaky legs.

"It's cold out," Yakov said in a low, angry voice as he picked up a white robe and wrapped it around his student's slim body, tying it gently at the waist.

He leaned close to Victor, breathing a few furious words into his ear.

"You fool! You really think that they are going to listen to you? That they will help you find that boy. You are an idiot! You are never going to leave that jail alive, Vitya. If your plan was to find and rescue Yuuri Katsuki, then you have failed."

"We must go," the officer said sternly, "The detective on the case is waiting to question Victor."

"I will answer any questions he has," Victor promised.

Yakov grimaced as Victor was led out of the room.

"Stupid boy!" he snapped softly, shaking his head.

His frown deepened and his fished his phone out of his coat and quickly dialed a number, then waited as the phone rang on the other end, and someone picked up.

"Yeshevskaya," said a woman's stern voice.

"It is Yakov," the old skate instructor replied, "Wait. Don't hang up. This is important."

"Hmph, why should I be talking to you, old man?" the woman scoffed, "If it's important, then you should call someone who gives a damn about you."

"It's about Vitya," Yakov hissed softly, "Olechka, he's been arrested and they are charging him with murder."

The person on the other end of the line went silent for several tense moments, then she cleared her throat and sighed.

"Tell me everything."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yuuri groaned softly and sighed, opening his eyes slowly, then blinking to clear his vision. He suffered a moment of disorientation and he tried to recall where he was. But even staring carefully at the dark wood furniture in the room, the beautiful paintings on the walls, and out the window at the tops of nearby trees and blue skies could not seem to jog his memory. Instead, he just felt confusion and his heart began to pound in his chest.

"Danya?" he called frantically, sitting up in the bed and looking around anxiously.

The bedroom door opened and his husband stepped into the room, carrying a tray filled with delicious looking steaming food and wearing a worried expression.

"Yurik?" he answered, studying Yuuri's face closely, "did you have another bad dream, love?"

"Ah…" Yuuri stammered, blinking as memories began to return to him, "n-no, sorry. I just…I…woke up and forgot where I was for a moment."

Danya moved closer and set his meal down on the nightstand, then sat next to his anxious partner, slipping a supportive arm around him.

"You were unconscious for so long," he sighed, touching his lips tenderly to Yuuri's, "and then with the treatments we tried to get you back on your feet."

Yuuri read the guilty look on his husband's face and shook his head firmly.

"Stop it, Danya," he scolded the older man, "I told you, you have to stop feeling bad that the treatments and surgeries failed to heal my paralysis. I am much improved. I can at least get out of bed and get around a little."

He tilted his head and gave Danya an affectionate look.

"I can get around well enough that you don't have to cook my meals all of the time and keep me in bed."

Danya's pale green eyes narrowed and took on a lusty gleam, and he brought Yuuri down onto his back, attacking the Japanese man's mouth eagerly and plunging inside to explore as Yuuri's hands caressed his back, encouraging him.

"D-danya!" he panted, arching his back and raising his hips to rub against the man on top of him.

Danya shifted to provide more friction, and began to move their clothing out of the way, watching as Yuuri writhed and moaned wantonly beneath him.

_The insertion of new memories seems to have successfully blocked out what was there before. He has only brief moments now, where he remembers something that clashes with the new reality that I gave him. _

_Hmm, I should stop before we get too intimate. I don't know if he would remain stable during the extremes of lovemaking. It should be done gradually. We should ease into this…but…_

Danya flinched and hardened as Yuuri thrust upward against him, moaning his name loudly.

_Ah, you are irresistible, Yuuri Katsuki._

He smiled down at his writhing captive, smiling wickedly as Yuuri panted out his name again and began sucking on his fingers.

"Danya, make love to me," he begged softly, "Please?"

"Oh, I think we need to…"

"No," Yuuri purred, his brown eyes narrowing and filling with lust as he pushed against his husband and rolled Danya onto his back.

Danya's green eyes widened as Yuuri mounted him, taking him slowly inside, then straightening to ride him.

"Be careful of your back!" the Russian hissed, grabbing Yuuri's hips and holding them carefully as Yuuri rose and fell atop him, groaning, shuddering and calling out his name.

"Danya! Oh god, Danya! Harder, please! Faster!"

"Easy," Danya scolded him, holding Yuuri's hips more tightly and slowing the pace of their thrusts, "Take care, my love. I don't want to hurt you."

"It doesn't hurt at all," Yuuri assured him, "It f-feels so good, Danya. Please go in deeper? Please?"

_I shouldn't…_

But he found the Japanese man's look of longing to much temptation and gave in, bucking upward as Yuuri came down on him, gasping and moaning luridly.

"Y-yurik!" Danya growled, thrusting upwards harder and pushing his slighter partner to the brink.

Yuuri stiffened for a moment, then quivered with delight as he began a gripping release.

"V-victor!" he screamed, unaware of what had escaped him or how it made his husband's green eyes darken with instant fury and hatred.

Realizing that he was about to lose control, Danya threw Yuuri over, onto his belly and entered him from behind, engaging him in a final bout of hard, fast thrusts that pushed him into an angry, sweltering release. He emptied himself into Yuuri's helpless body, watching with still furious eyes as the Japanese man panted and clenched at the bedding.

_It was reckless to let him lure me like that. I asked for this to happen. I should have taken things more slowly. But, he is so beautiful, so very precious. Since I was able to convince him that he was my lover, he has been so charming, so alluring! No wonder Victor loves him._

He bristled at the thought of the Russian man he and his brother had once loved.

_I wonder how you will like the inside of a prison, Victor. You won't have to worry about being lonely for company in there. I only wish you knew why it was that you were being so tormented. I want you to know who it was who took this foreign beauty from you, and who got you sent to that horrible place to rot away while I enjoy the one you love!_

He coaxed Yuuri onto his back and plumbed the depths of that warm, wonderful mouth again, then he blinked in surprise at seeing tears on Yuuri's pale cheeks. He sat up and pulled Yuuri up with him.

"What is wrong, my love?" he asked worriedly, "Was I too rough with you? Did I hurt you Yurik?"

"N-no," Yuuri answered in a shaky voice, "but…I hurt you. I did it again, didn't I? I said something bad while I was…"

"No!" Danya said reassuringly, covering Yuuri's frowning mouth in kisses, "It was nothing. I told you that these things will happen from time to time. You got overexcited. I pushed you too hard, making love to you like that. It's my fault."

"It's not your fault," Yuuri insisted, taking Danya's handsome face in his hands, "You've only ever been good to me, first as my doctor, then as my lover. You saved my life when that bastard almost killed me with his drunk driving. I'm glad he's gone! I just wish I could stop thinking about him at all! I don't like how he gets into my head sometimes. I know that Victor is dead, but it's like he still just won't leave me alone!"

"Give yourself time," Danya chided him, leaning forward to kiss a teary cheek, "You will forget him, with time. That is why you asked me to bring you here, to my retreat. Do you remember, Yurik? It's why you chose to be called what I call you and to cut off all ties with your old life."

Danya turned away, smirking very slightly as he went on.

"I still wonder if I should have indulged you," he sighed, "To lose Victor was so hard for you."

"No…"

"Then, to lose your friends and your family too," Danya went on, "You cling to nothing of that former life."

"I want nothing of that former life," Yuuri said, climbing onto his lap and kissing him again, "You are all I want, Danya. You are all I need."

_But you still keep saying his name when we make love. In the throes of orgasm, you go back to him instinctively, even though it is me who is inside you._

But, he forced a smile and showed nothing of his anger.

"Yes, and you are all I need."

It was a lie, he knew.

_After all, Yuuri was just a means to an end. And now that I have him firmly in my grip, I can begin to focus on how to make sure that Victor pays in full for all of the pain he brought to me. You did not die in vain, my brother. Victor killed you, and now I will kill him in the most painful way I can._

He held the Japanese man against his naked body as Yuuri drifted slowly back to sleep, then he exited the bed and showered, his mind now firmly focused on revenge. After bathing and dressing, he left the master bedroom of the cabin and headed to the large family room, where he sat down and turned on the TV, taking a moment to punch in the code to allow the channels to show up. A satisfied smirk formed on his lips as he spotted Victor's image and listened to the news report.

"_Reports have come in that Russian skating legend, Victor Nikiforov was released from the hospital and then was immediately arrested and taken into the custody of the Saint Petersburg Police Department. Police have not yet issued a statement, but Victor's longtime coach had this to say when asked about the situation."_

Danya scowled as the image of Yakov appeared on the screen.

"_Victor is adamant that he has committed no crime. We are not sure what happened to Yuuri Katsuki, but Victor is cooperating with the authorities to try to get to the bottom of this very suspicious situation."_

Danya laughed softly and turned off the TV, then he sat in the darkness, his mind going back in time.

_He wasn't sure how he had come to be the way he found himself, hanging upside down, held from falling by the tight strap on his body._

"_S-syoma? Are you all right?" the silvery haired skater cried, reaching up to loose the strap, "Come, we have to get out of here! The car is catching fire!"_

"_W-wait, I am…wait, Victor! N-no, What about Rostya? M-my bro…"_

"_You have to come now!" Victor shouted, hauling him towards the shattered window. _

_Victor covered his arm with his bound up coat and pushed the pieces of the window out. Even with his arm somewhat protected, he winced as broken glass managed to cut him through the rumpled cloth. Syoma screamed in pain as Victor dragged him out and crawled to a safe place._

"_ROSTYA!" Syoma howled._

"_I'll get him!" Victor panted, turning back._

_A moment later, he was thrown to the ground and raging heat flashed over them as the burning car exploded._

"_ROSTYA!" Syoma screamed, fighting Victor as Victor blocked his path to the car and held him away protectively._

"_H-he's gone!" Victor sobbed, "Stop it. You'll only be burned up with him, Syoma!"_

"_I don't care! Let me go! ROSTYA!"_

"Danya?" Yuuri's voice said, bringing him out of his reverie.

The Russian's breath caught and he turned to find Yuuri standing in the hallway near him, holding onto the wall and standing on shaky legs.

"Yurik, what are you doing?" he cried, hurrying to catch the Japanese man as his legs quivered and started to give way, "You know you're not supposed to get out of bed without me there. What were you thinking?"

"I…I woke up and you were gone, and the house was so quiet," Yuuri answered, hugging him tightly as Danya lifted him and carried him back to the bedroom, "I'm sorry. I was just…kinda spooked is all."

"I am here," Danya said reassuringly, "I am not going to leave you. I told you before that you are all that matters to me. It's why I worked so hard at your healing. It's why I took a long break from work to be with you here. You must trust me, Yurik. I will always protect you."

He laid Yuuri on the bed and sat down beside him.

"Please, Yurik, you must not be so reckless again. Your legs are too weak for you to be walking alone. I will bring anything that you need and I will take care of everything."

"Yes, I know that, sorry," Yuuri said ruefully, "I just…I was scared without you."

"You have nothing to fear," Danya reassured him, kissing him on the cheek.

_It is Victor Nikiforov who lives in fear now._

_He will die in terror, just like my brother did…the night that Victor drove drunk and killed him!_


End file.
